EUROPE: A PROPHECY William Blake EUROPE: A PROPHECY Table of Contents EUROPE: A PROPHECY.......................................................................................................................................1 William Blake................................................................................................................................................1 Preludium.......................................................................................................................................................1 A Prophecy.....................................................................................................................................................2 i EUROPE: A PROPHECY William Blake This page copyright © 2001 Blackmask Online. http://www.blackmask.com • Preludium • A Prophecy `Five windows light the cavern'd Man: thro' one he breathes the air; Thro' one hears music of the spheres; thro' one the Eternal Vine Flourishes, that he may receive the grapes; thro' one can look And see small portions of the Eternal World that ever groweth; Thro' one himself pass out what time he please, but he will not; For stolen joys are sweet, and bread eaten in secret pleasant.' So sang a Fairy, mocking, as he sat on a streak'd tulip, Thinking none saw him: when he ceas'd I started from the trees, And caught him in my hat, as boys knock down a butterfly. `How know you this,' said I, `small Sir? where did you learn this song?' Seeing himself in my possession, thus he answer'd me: `My Master, I am yours! command me, for I must obey.' `Then tell me, what is the Material World, and is it dead?' He, laughing, answer'd: `I will write a book on leaves of flowers, If you will feed me on love−thoughts, and give me now and then A cup of sparkling poetic fancies; so, when I am tipsy, I'll sing to you to this soft lute, and show you all alive The World, when every particle of dust breathes forth its joy.' I took him home in my warm bosom: as we went along Wild flowers I gatherèd; and he show'd me each Eternal Flower: He laugh'd aloud to see them whimper because they were pluck'd. They hover'd round me like a cloud of incense. When I came Into my parlour and sat down, and took my pen to write, My Fairy sat upon the table, and dictated EUROPE. Preludium The nameless Shadowy Female rose from out the breast of Orc, Her snaky hair brandishing in the winds of Enitharmon; And thus her voice arose: `O mother Enitharmon, wilt thou bring forth other sons, To cause my name to vanish, that my place may not be found? EUROPE: A PROPHECY 1 EUROPE: A PROPHECY For I am faint with travel, Like the dark cloud disburden'd in the day of dismal thunder. `My roots are brandish'd in the heavens, my fruits in earth beneath Surge, foam, and labour into life, first born and first consum'd! Consumèd and consuming! Then why shouldst thou, Accursèd Mother, bring me into life? `I wrap my turban of thick clouds around my lab'ring head, And fold the sheety waters as a mantle round my limbs; Yet the red sun and moon And all the overflowing stars rain down prolific pains. `Unwilling I look up to heaven, unwilling count the stars: Sitting in fathomless abyss of my immortal shrine I seize their burning power, And bring forth howling terrors, all−devouring fiery kings, `Devouring and devourèd, roaming on dark and desolate mountains, In forests of Eternal Death, shrieking in hollow trees. Ah, mother Enitharmon! Stamp not with solid form this vig'rous progeny of fires. `I bring forth from my teeming bosom myriads of flames, And thou dost stamp them with a signet; then they roam abroad, And leave me void as death. Ah! I am drown'd in shady woe and visionary joy. `And who shall bind the Infinite with an eternal band To compass it with swaddling bands? and who shall cherish it With milk and honey? I see it smile, and I roll inward, and my voice is past.' She ceas'd, and roll'd her shady clouds Into the secret place. A Prophecy The deep of winter came, What time the Secret Child Descended through the orient gates of the Eternal day: War ceas'd, and all the troops like shadows fled to their abodes. Then Enitharmon saw her sons and daughters rise around; Like pearly clouds they meet together in the crystal house; And Los, possessor of the Moon, joy'd in the peaceful night, Thus speaking, while his num'rous sons shook their bright fiery wings: `Again the night is come, That strong Urthona takes his rest; A Prophecy 2 EUROPE: A PROPHECY And Urizen, unloos'd from chains, Glows like a meteor in the distant North. Stretch forth your hands and strike the elemental strings! Awake the thunders of the deep! `The shrill winds wake, Till all the sons of Urizen look out and envy Los. Seize all the spirits of life, and bind Their warbling joys to our loud strings! Bind all the nourishing sweets of earth To give us bliss, that we may drink the sparkling wine of Los! And let us laugh at war, Despising toil and care, Because the days and nights of joy in lucky hours renew. `Arise, O Orc, from thy deep den! First−born of Enitharmon, rise! And we will crown thy head with garlands of the ruddy vine; For now thou art bound, And I may see thee in the hour of bliss, my eldest−born.' The horrent Demon rose, surrounded with red stars of fire, Whirling about in furious circles round the Immortal Fiend. Then Enitharmon down descended into his red light, And thus her voice rose to her children: the distant heavens reply: `Now comes the night of Enitharmon's joy! Who shall I call? Who shall I send, That Woman, lovely Woman, may have dominion? Arise, O Rintrah! thee I call, and Palamabron, thee! Go! tell the Human race that Woman's love is Sin; That an Eternal life awaits the worms of sixty winters, In an allegorical abode, where existence hath never come. Forbid all Joy; and, from her childhood, shall the little Female Spread nets in every secret path. `My weary eyelids draw towards the evening; my bliss is yet but new. `Arise! O Rintrah, eldest−born, second to none but Orc! O lion Rintrah, raise thy fury from thy forests black! Bring Palamabron, hornèd priest, skipping upon the mountains, And silent Elynittria, the silver−bowèd queen. Rintrah, where hast thou hid thy bride? Weeps she in desert shades? Alas! my Rintrah, bring the lovely jealous Ocalythron. `Arise, my son! bring all thy brethren, O thou King of Fire! Prince of the Sun! I see thee with thy innumerable race, Thick as the summer stars; But each, ramping, his golden mane shakes, A Prophecy 3 EUROPE: A PROPHECY And thine eyes rejoice because of strength, O Rintrah, furious King!' Enitharmon slept Eighteen hundred years. Man was a dream, The night of Nature and their harps unstrung! She slept in middle of her nightly song Eighteen hundred years, a Female dream. Shadows of men in fleeting bands upon the winds Divide the heavens of Europe; Till Albion's Angel, smitten with his own plagues, fled with his bands. The cloud bears hard on Albion's shore, Fill'd with immortal Demons of futurity: In council gather the smitten Angels of Albion; The cloud bears hard upon the council−house, down rushing On the heads of Albion's Angels. One hour they lay burièd beneath the ruins of that hall; But as the stars rise from the Salt Lake, they arise in pain, In troubled mists, o'erclouded by the terrors of struggling times. In thoughts perturb'd they rose from the bright ruins, silent following The fiery King, who sought his ancient temple, serpent−form'd, That stretches out its shady length along the Island white. Round him roll'd his clouds of war; silent the Angel went Along the infinite shores of Thames to golden Verulam. There stand the venerable porches, that high−towering rear Their oak−surrounded pillars, form'd of massy stones, uncut With tool, stones precious! such eternal in the heavens, Of colours twelve (few known on earth) give light in the opaque, Plac'd in the order of the stars; when the five senses whelm'd In deluge o'er the earth−born man, then turn'd the fluxile eyes Into two stationary orbs, concentrating all things: The ever−varying spiral ascents to the Heavens of Heavens Were bended downward, and the nostrils' golden gates shut, Turn'd outward, barr'd, and petrify'd against the Infinite. Thought chang'd the Infinite to a Serpent, that which pitieth To a devouring flame; and Man fled from its face and hid In forests of night: then all the eternal forests were divided Into earths, rolling in circles of Space, that like an ocean rush'd And overwhelmèd all except this finite wall of flesh. Then was the Serpent temple form'd, image of Infinite, Shut up in finite revolutions, and Man became an Angel, Heaven a mighty circle turning, God a tyrant crown'd. Now arriv'd the ancient Guardian at the southern porch, That planted thick with trees of blackest leaf, and in a vale Obscure enclos'd the Stone of Night; oblique it stood, o'erhung With purple flowers and berries red, image of that sweet South, Once open to the heavens, and elevated on the human neck, A Prophecy 4 EUROPE: A PROPHECY Now overgrown with hair, and cover'd with a story roof Downward 'tis sunk beneath th' attractive North, that round the feet, A raging whirlpool, draws the dizzy enquirer to his grave. Albion's Angel rose upon the Stone of Night. He saw Urizen on the Atlantic; And his brazen Book, That Kings and Priests had copièd on Earth, Expanded from North to South.